Wild Lose In Overtime To Vernon

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild let a late lead slip away, dropping a 3-2 overtime contest to the Vernon Vipers, in front of 3,011 Saturday night at the Town Toyota Center.

After a scoreless first period, Wenatchee’s Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) scored from Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) and Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) assisted at 2:00, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Jagger Williamson tied it up for Vernon, assisted by Griffin James and Liam Finlay at 6:00, squaring the contest at 1-1. But, not quite four minutes later, Wenatchee regained the lead, as Stephan scored from Raabe and Coyne at 9:55, putting the Wild on top 2-1 after two.

That lead would hold until the final minute of the third. With the goaltender out for an extra attacker, the Vipers’ Odeen Tufto scored from Latrell Charleson and Williamson at 19:23, tying the game 2-2 and forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Jimmy Lambert poked home a loose puck to settle the contest. Tufto assisted at 4:10, giving Vernon the 3-2 win.

Wenatchee outshot Vernon 35-21 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 18 saves for the Wild, Adam Shortridge 33 for the Vipers. Wenatchee went 1-5 on the power play and 6 of 6 on the penalty kill. “That’s a tough one.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “Outplayed them most of the night, we made a mistake in the last minute, that’s a tough one to take. Give them (Vernon) credit, they hung in there, their goaltender played well. We had our chances where we should have been up more than a goal, that’s unfortunate. I do think the penalties cost us tonight. We did a great job on the kill, but the penalties were, our defenseman down in the end, that’s unfortunate we played better than that tonight, should have got both points.”

With the win, Vernon improves to 11-12-0-1 on the season, the Wild slip to 14-5-2-2 on the season, one point behind first-place Chilliwack in the Mainland Division. Wenatchee hits the road next weekend, playing at Coquitlam on Friday, November 20^th, Chilliwack on Saturday, November 21^st and then Surrey on Sunday, November 22nd.

Battle For The Border

Wild Slides Past Prince George

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild were able to come back from an early first period deficit Friday night to edge the Prince George Spruce Kings 2-1, in front of 3,044 at the Town Toyota Center.

Prince George would score the lone goal of the opening period, as Jake LeBrun scored a power play goal, assisted by Matthew Stief and Cavin Tilsley just 2:48 in, giving the Spruce Kings a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Wenatchee would strike twice. Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) scored on the power play, sliding home a shot from in close. Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) and Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) assisted at 11:00, tying the game 1-1. Then, in the final minute of the period, a Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB) shot from the left point found its way through a screen and into the goal at 19:26. Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) and Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) drew the assists, putting the Wild up 2-1 after 40 minutes.

In the third, Wenatchee put up a solid defensive effort and rode that to the 2-1 win.

The Wild outshot Prince George 27-19 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 18 saves for Wenatchee, Sam Tanguay had 25 saves for the Spruce Kings. The Wild went 1-6 on the power play and 3 of 4 on the penalty kill. “Overall, you never want to get behind the eight-ball like we did three minutes in, where you’re down 1-0.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “It came from an offensive zone penalty that put us shorthanded. You make a pass and a shot, I don’t think our goalie had a chance. But other than that, we didn’t really give up any quality chances. I know Chase had the one really big save under five minutes to go. Other than that, I thought we competed pretty hard the second and third periods. It was a pretty good hockey game.”

With the win, the Wild improves to 14-5-2-1 on the season, tied with Chilliwack for first in the Mainland Division, while Prince George slips to 5-15-0-2. Wenatchee is home Saturday night, hosting the Vernon Vipers at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wolves Remain Unbeaten In NPHL

Wenatchee, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wolves, proud members of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, had another successful weekend in the NPHL, winning both games played this past weekend, defeating the Tri-Cities Outlaws 5-4 on Friday, November 6th, then winning 6-0 on Sunday, November 8th.

In Friday’s 5-4 win, Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) tallied three goals and an assist, while Thomas Hendry (Salt Lake City, UT) and Griffin Wiencek (Sherwood, OR) added a goal and an assist. Hendry’s third-period shorthanded goal was the game winner.  Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) stopped 27 shots. The Wolves were 3-for-7 on the power play and 5-of-7 with a shorthanded goal on the penalty kill.

In Sunday’s 6-0 win, Givens led the way with 2 goals, while Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) stopped all 16 shots he faced. Wenatchee went 2-for-7 on the power play and 4-of-4 on the penalty kill.

 “As a development team, we are always focused on improving every week.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “On Friday, I thought we took a step backwards but then responded with a quality performance on Sunday. We will focus on having high compete levels this week in practice as we prepare for NAPHL play this coming week.”

Next NPHL action for the Wolves is a two-game series at the Seattle Ravens on Friday, November 20^th at 6:35pm and Sunday, November 21^st at 12:00pm.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Completes Weekend Sweep Of Coquitlam

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild parlayed a huge shot advantage in the first 40 minutes to a two-goal lead, on their way to their second consecutive 4-2 win over the Coquitlam Express, in front of 3,129 at the Town Toyota Center Saturday night.

Wenatchee would score the lone goal of the opening period, as Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) scored, assisted by Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) and August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) at 4:56, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) scored at 5:01, assisted by Matt Burchill (Marshfield, MA) and Austin Chavez (Corona, CA), putting Wenatchee on top, 2-0. The Express would respond quickly. Jarell Pinchuk scored from Austin McIlmurray and Jack Surowiec at 5:24, slicing the deficit to 2-1. However, Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) scored on a shot from the blue line, assisted by Jaden Anderson (Aurora, CO) at 16:50, putting the Wild in front after two, 3-1.

In the third, Coquitlam got a goal from Keegan Jones, off assists from Jonathan Irving and Alex Ambrosio at 7:16, drawing the Express to within one, at 3-2. But, Von Ungern would score into the empty net, assisted by Aaron Murray (Chino, CA) at 19:35, giving Wenatchee the 4-2 win.

The Wild outshot Coquitlam 46-28 on the night. Garrett Nieto (Yorba Linda, CA) made 26 saves for Wenatchee, Tyger Howat had 33 saves for the Express. The Wild went 1-4 on the power play and 6 of 6 on the penalty kill. “I really like the pace that we played at tonight.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought we probably deserved to score another goal or two, but their goaltender played exceptionally well. At the end we bent but we didn’t break, we kind of let them back in the hockey game after being a little bit one-sided for two-and-a-half periods, the last ten we kind of let them back in a bit. Again, we found a way to win today. We need to take the win and move on, get our rest tomorrow and then go back to work, try to get better next week.”

With the win, Wenatchee improves to 13-5-2-1 on the season, still in sole possession of first in the Mainland Division, while Coquitlam slips to 7-10-1-2. The Wild are home next weekend, hosting Prince George on Friday, November 13^th and Vernon on Saturday, November 14th at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST both nights. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wild Comes Back To Top Coquitlam

Wenatchee, WA. – The Wenatchee Wild got back on the winning track Friday, coming from behind to defeat the Coquitlam Express 4-2, in front of 2,712 at the Town Toyota Center.

Wenatchee would score the lone goal of the opening period, as Blake Christensen (Lauderhill, FL) slipped one home from the slot, assisted by Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) and Brandon Puricelli (St. Louis, MO) at 13:50, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, Coquitlam would score twice to take the lead. Austin McIlmurray scored from Luca Leone and Colton Kerfoot at 4:20, then Kerfoot scored on the power play from Charlie Barrow at 8:05, putting the Express up 2-1. However, Wenatchee would bounce back with a pair of their own. Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) slid home a backhander in tight, assisted by Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) and Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) at 11:47, tying the game 2-2. Then, not quite two minutes later, a Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) shot creeped across the goal line for the go ahead marker. The assist went to Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB) at 13:45, giving the Wild a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Early in the third, Wenatchee would up the lead to two, as Aaron Murray (Chino, CA) came off the bench on a change and ripped a sweep shot into the goal from above the left wing circle. The assists went to Harris and Drabin just 1:49 into the period. The Wild would hold on from there for the 4-2 win.

Wenatchee outshot Coquitlam 37-27 on the night. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 25 saves for the Wild, Lawson Fenton had 33 saves for Coquitlam. Wenatchee was 0-for-6 on the power play and 1 of 2 on the penalty kill. “I thought it was a pretty good hockey game.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought both teams competed pretty hard. I thought we got better as the game went on. I think teams are having a plan to try to clog up the sides a little bit and so we need to go a little more side to side or low to high. ”

With the win, the Wild improves to 12-5-2-1 on the season, still in sole possession of first in the Mainland Division, while the Express slips to 7-9-1-2. Wenatchee hosts Coquitlam again Saturday night, November 7^th at the Town Toyota Center starting at 7:05pm PST. Tickets are available at the door, at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825 or 509-888-7274.

Battle For The Border

Wolves Stay Unbeaten In NPHL

Wenatchee, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wolves, proud members of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, had another successful weekend in the NPHL, winning both games played this past weekend, defeating the Seattle Ravens 3-0 on Saturday, October 31^st, then rolling past the West Sound Warriors 10-1 on Sunday, November 1^st.

In Saturday’s 3-0 win over Seattle, Tom Ignatovich (Seattle, WA), Thomas Hendry (Salt Lake City, UT) and Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) scored goals, while Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) stopped all 10 shots he faced. The Wolves were 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill.

In Sunday’s 10-1 win over West Sound, Griffin Wiencek (Sherwood, OR) led the way with 3 goals and an assist, while Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) had 2 goals and 3 assists. Max Flynn (Wenatchee, WA) stopped 3 of the 4 shots he faced. Wenatchee went 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill.

 “I thought the guys played hard all weekend.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “I thought we moved the puck well and took a step forward. We continue to focus on getting better every week and I thought we did that last week.”

Next NPHL action for the Wolves is a two-game home-and-home series with the Tri-Cities Outlaws on Friday, November 6^th at 7:05pm in Kennewick and Sunday, November 8^th at 2:35pm in Wenatchee.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY